RadioShack today confirmed rumors that it is going wireless. The electronics retailer will partner with Leap Wireless and its Cricket subsidiary to launch a no-contract wireless plan.

The phones will be available via RadioShack stores nationwide beginning Wednesday.

"Mobility is about choices at RadioShack," Allen McClard, vice president of RadioShack mobility, said in a statement. "RadioShack knows that each consumer is looking for something different when it comes to their mobile phone."

The company's new no-contract wireless is "part of our promise to continue to evolve in the wireless space to meet those needs," McClard said.

This week, the Huawei Mercury Ice and the Huawei Pillar will hit RadioShack shelves, while the company expects to add two more handsets to its lineup by the end of the month.

Exclusive to RadioShack for the next 30 days, the Mercury Ice runs Android 2.3 and a 1.4-GHz processor, and carries a $149.99 price tag for a 4-inch screen display and 8-megapixel camera. With the $50-per-month unlimited data plan, the phone delivers unlimited song and ringtone downloads with Muve Music.

Its much cheaper counterpart, the Huawei Pillar, is priced at $39.99, with service plans starting at $25 a month. The Pillar comes with a QWERTY keyboard and mobile Web access, as well as a built-in camera.

"Wireless customers are looking for top-quality devices, service plans that fit their needs and entertainment, all at a great value," said Robert Young, executive vice president of Cricket's field operations. "And we're pleased to help bring these products to RadioShack customers."

To use a smartphone, it will cost at least $50 per month, with unlimited data (1GB at full-speed), unlimited minutes and domestic text messaging, as well as unlimited music. For more flexibility, a second service plan offers unlimited data (2.5GB at full-speed), plus unlimited minutes, international texting, and unlimited music, for $60 a month.

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Stephanie joined PCMag in May 2012, moving to New York City from Frederick, Md., where she worked for four years as a multimedia reporter at the second-largest daily newspaper in Maryland. She interned at Baltimore magazine and graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania (in the town of Indiana, in the state of Pennsylvania) with a degree in ... See Full Bio

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